Furthering careers in UK poultry farming

Young poultry farmers in the southwest of England are being offered financial support through an award. Photo: Canva

Young poultry farmers in the southwest of England are being offered financial support following the creation of a Young Person’s Development award.

The award, jointly established by the South West Chicken Association and Morspan Construction Ltd., is for applicants between 17 and 30 working within the current South West Chicken Association catchment areas south-west of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.

The £2,000 grant will be awarded to the successful candidate for/towards:

A defined project or learning objective proposed by the candidate during the application process, relating to any aspect of poultry. The funding could be used to fund conference attendance or pay for travel/accommodation. The applicant will need to outline how they would spend the award to achieve their objective.
Members of the South West Chicken Association committee can help provide contacts and learning opportunities if required, for example by facilitating visits to different parts of the supply chain.

The interview panel will be composed of former Poultry World contributor Robert Lanning of Devonshire Poultry, Polly Davies of Elanco Animal Health and Donald Gillespie of Morspan.

The winner will be announced at the South West Chicken Association annual conference on 29 April and the successful applicant should complete their work experience by 1 March 2026.

Event relocation

Meanwhile, the South West Chicken Association has announced that it is moving to a larger venue for its 36^th Annual Trade Exhibition and Conference next year. The event, which for many years has been held at Congresbury, near Bristol, will take place on 29 April 2025 at the Sandy Park Conference Centre in Exeter.

For further information or an application form, email swca@hotmail.co.uk.